Mistress Wilding (Paperback)

by Rafael Sabatini (Author)
Key Phrases: old rake, Sir Rowland, Lord Gervase, Lupton House (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Rafael Sabatini (1875 - 1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages. By the time he was seventeen, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language - English - to his linguistic collection. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English." In all, he produced thirty one novels, eight short story collections, six nonfiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play. He is best known for his world-wide bestsellers: The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Other famous works by Sabatini are The Lion's Skin (1911), The Strolling Saint (1913) and The Snare (1917). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: BiblioBazaar (October 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434671089
• ISBN-13: 978-1434671080
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,816,948 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sabatini at his Peak, March 11, 2009

By	Robert L. Piepenbrink - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mistress Wilding (Hardcover)

I rate MISTRESS WILDING with CAPTAIN BLOOD and THE BLACK SWAN as Sabatini in peak form--as good as swashbucklers get. As always, a hero who should have been played by Errol Flynn and a suspicious--but persuadable--woman--spiced with treachery, battles, duels and less formal swordplay. This one's set in Monmouth's Rebellion--right up there with the '45 for improbable adventure--and Sabatini uses it well.
The book itself is a nice hardcover with the standard Bibliobazaar cover. I would say the text had been scanned in from an earlier edition with the use of an OCR program. This leads to a few typos, but nothing which hinders reading, and where else will you find a Sabatini in new hardcover?
Just buy it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More historical suspense...., September 6, 2008

By	Seven Kitties "7kitties" (Blue Point, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Imagine a soap opera where the young lady hates the dashing hero for his roguish reputation, her brother hates him because he won't be able to enjoy his partying lifestyle when the hero weds the girl, and another young man, a broke gambler, sees his financial salvation in thwarting the hero and marrying the lady ('s fortune) himself. Then add the backdrop of the Duke of Monmouth's return during the reign of King James, so there's rebellion, insurrection and treachery on all sides. That's pretty much what this title gives you, along with a healthy dose of Sabatini-style chivalry.

It's a rollicking read--you never know what's going to happen next, but suspect it'll keep getting worse and worse for our hero. Yes, the characters are a little unround and not far from 'types', but for tense plotting and a very Victorian moral code welded to history, you can't beat Sabatini. It's not his *best*, but it's still a great ride!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as Captain Blood, March 24, 2008

By	Jane Austen Fan "whatever2000" (Pasadena, California) - See all my reviews

Don't let the ugly cover put you off. Here again, Sabatini puts the Duke of Monmmoth's failed overthrow of King James II to good use. But this time the man of the hour is hopelessly in love with a woman who has refused his offer of marriage.

But Mr. Wilding seizes the opportunity to force her into accepting him to save her brother, a coward and drunk who challenged Wilding to a duel thinking the challange would not be accepted because Wilding would fear to anger his love and forever lose her.

Within an hour of their wedding the fireworks begin, both between husband and wife and the Duke and the King. I'd love to be able to read this for the first time again. Buy it with Captain Blood by the same author and you'll have a great weekend of reading.